VACUOLE

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS

DR. DILIP V. HANDE

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DEPT OF BOTANY SHRI SHIVAJI SCIENCE COLLEGE, AMRAVATI MS.

C E L L

Vacuoles   

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Fluid filled sacks for storage Small or absent in animal cells Plant cells have a large Central Vacuole No vacuoles in bacterial cells

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The vacuoles ( Vacuus-empty) are non-living, most conspicuous components of the plant cells.  They are very large, filled with fluid called as vacuolar sap.  In young cell the vacuoles are smaller in size and many in numbers but in mature cells their number decreases and size increases.  Sometimes only one vacuole is presents in a cell. The shape of vacuole is variable. 

Introduction

Vacuole

Vacuoles  In

plants, they store Cell Sap  Includes storage of sugars, proteins, minerals, lipids, wastes, salts, water, and enzymes copyright cmassengale

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Membrane bound storage sacs  More common in plants than animals  Contents 

◦ Water ◦ Food ◦ wastes

Vacuoles

Structure  Each vacuole is separated from a cytoplasm by a single unit membrane called tonoplast or vacuolar membrane. 

The tonoplast encloses the liquid substance which includes carbohydrates (sugars), amides, amino acids, proteins, organic acids, anthocyanin pigments, waste products of mineral salts like chlorides and phosphates etc.

Vacuoles

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Structure 

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Vacuoles are structurally and functionally related to lysosomes in animal cells and may contain a wide range of hydrolytic enzymes. The pH of vacuole may be as high as 8-10 due to large quantity of alkaline substances as low as 3 due to the accumulation of acids (citric oxalic and malic acid).

Contractile Vacuole  Found

in unicellular protists like paramecia  Regulate water intake by pumping out excess (homeostasis)  Keeps the cell from lysing (bursting) Contractile vacuole animation

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Functions :  Vacuole

act as storage organelles for various substances.  Vacuolar sap maintain the turger pressure of a cell.  Vacuoles also store anthocyanin pigment which gives various colors to flowers, fruits that helps in the pollination and ornamental value.  Plant vacuole also contain the product such as rubber latex (Hevea brazilensis) or opium (Papaver sominiferum).

Functions They also help in enlargement of cell.  Several metabolic activities takes place in the cell sap or vacuole.  Isolating materials that might be harmful or a threat to the cell  Containing waste products  Containing water in plant cells  Maintaining internal hydrostatic pressure ( pressure exerted by liquid) within the cell. 

Functions    

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Maintaining an acidic internal pH Containing small molecules Exporting unwanted substances from the cell Allows plants to support structures such as leaves and flowers due to the pressure of the central vacuole In seeds, stored proteins needed for germination are kept in 'protein bodies', which are modified vacuoles.

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Vacuoles also play a major role in autophagy maintaining a balance between biogenesis (production) and degradation (or turnover), of many substances and cell structures in certain organisms.

Functions